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KABUL (SW): Some residents of Kabul’s Qala-e-Najara neighborhood criticized the security forces for failing to swiftly handle Friday’s terrorist attack on the Imam Zamin mosque.
Speaking to Salam Watandar, a number of survivors said the ‘laziness’ of the security forces allowed the militants to kill more and more worshipers. Reports suggest up to 28 people died and up to 50 got wounded in this attack during Friday prayers.
One of the survivors Hashim said that the security forces allowed the militants the opportunity to kill the worshipers with knives when their bullets ended. “Up to six or seven people have been killed with knives, but large number of people have been killed with bullets. The militants had many opportunities. No one [from security forces] was entering the mosque despite our repeated calls. Two of our people were hiding here under the stairs, when the militants came down from the women’s floor they searched around and killed them as well”, he said.
Nasser, a man who lost two of his relatives in this attack, said the death toll is much higher than what the government officials are quoting. “24 of the victims are from this neighborhood, there were many people who came from different areas of the city for Friday prayers here”, he said.
Salam Watandar wished to have the views of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) on the claims made by the survivors, but failed despite multiple efforts.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has pronounced the attack as ‘a war crime'. Patricia Gossman, senior Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, has warned all parties to Afghanistan’s conflict to recognize that such grave international crimes may be prosecuted anywhere in the world at any time.
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has also condemned the attack, urging the government to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Meanwhile, a number of civil society activists gathered in Balkh and Baghlan provinces to denounce the attack. The participants at these protest demonstrations urged the government to bring an end to ‘dual policies’ towards the Taliban and other terrorist groups.
ENDS
